Belmont School Chiswick Catchment area?

[newmama3]

Does anyone with children at Belmont school in Chiswick have any advice on catchment area. I have the list of roads within the paa but we are looking at houses specifically to get my DS in for 2011 and wondered how far out they usually go. The house we are looking at is 0.5 miles from school. Would appreciate any advice/info. Thanks

This gives you the priority catchment area for the school. Living in it doesn't guarantee entry though.

I know children who go there who live further away than that. It would be worth calling the school office- they would be able to tell you which roads in the catchment struggle to get places - anecdotally these are at the ends of the area. It will vary from year to year though.

My daughter is in reception at Belmont (ie started last September). Although a few years ago it seemed to be possible to get a place if you were near the school but not in the PAA, that seems not be true now. Partly because of the popularity of the school but also now because of parents opting for Belmont over private schools as a result of the recession. In my DD's year, there were no children originally given places who lived outside the catchment area. There were also some children who were in catchment and attending the school nursery who did not get places - one child who lived at the far end of Abinger Road, for example. As others have said, it will vary from year to year (and siblings in catchment get priority over others in catchment regardless of distances) so there can be no guarantees.

Thanks a lot for all advice. Nizzer - without actually asking for your address........would you say you are further out than 0.5 miles from the school (just to give me an idea) e.g we have looked at houses in Marlborough Road and also Thornton Avenue.....opposite ends but both around 0.5 miles from school?? Many thanks again.

Hi newmama3
Sorry for delay - have been away. We are on Sutton Court Road (the Belmont side, odd numbers, north of the A4) and I think we are around 0.3m. But unless things get a lot worse, you should be fine with either Marlborough or Thornton. There are current reception children from Silver Crescent, for example, which is significantly further out. Contact me direct if you like and happy to discuss. We went through the same a few years ago and I know how hard it feels to get info.

Not about this school but I telephoned a local authority today about primary admissions.

Without much prompting, I was able to get 2010 numbers for total preferences, first preferences, waiting list numbers, number of siblings, distance of children top of waiting list and 2nd place and distance of the last two non sibling and non special arrangements kids offered places on distance from the school.

Effectively, I know how far the catchment area exists and I can use maps online with the postcode of the school to search house distances from it. In my case the prospective school policy is straight line as per the Ordnance Survey maps to the school gate but some do use walkable made up paths etc.

If you compare all this information with that available for previous years, then you can get a very good idea of how the trend is progressing.

Another question for you Chiswick mums please? We are also looking at a move to Chiswick. (lastminute.com for school admissions I know!!). What are the alternatives like to Belmont (state) if we don't get into the catchment area?

Not from Chiswick but the 2012 Hounslow admission brochure came home from nursery with DS today which has the application figures in so will have a go! Seems like Grove Park was the most popular after Belmont followed by Strand on the Green, Cavendish and William Hogarth.

Worth noting that the admissions procedure seems to have changed massively. The individual school catchments have gone to be replaced by a 'super admission area' which in your case is the whole of Chiswick. Therefore it seems like raw distance is the deciding criteria - also worth noting that siblings now have priority over catchment which wasn't previously the case. This may make schools like Grove Park more difficult as they only take 30 kids.

Hi! I would love to talk to you. I know it’s been a lot of years now. Are you still around?

@Nizzer - I would love to talk to you if still possible!